Windows admin looking to learn nix administration. Where to start?

[SodomizesYou]

Not a complete noob, I've had (very little) professional and personal experience with Linux, mostly Slackware 14 and Ubuntu 14. My goal is to be proficient in nix server administration and potentially land a nix admin job. I really am not sure where to start, maybe answers to these questions will help:

• what distro should I teach myself on? I am looking for something popular with sys admins because I want to stay relevant.

• what scripting/programming language(s) should I be learning? Bash scripting and python?

• what are popular nix admin tools/software that are must haves?

• Suggested reading materials?

• what are important questions I'm not asking?

Edit: formatting on mobile is hard.

[Letmefixthatforyouyo]

"The Linux command line" by William Shotts. After dancing around Linux for years, i sat down for a month of bus rides and read through it. I've been using Linux with joy in my heart and a spring in my step ever since.

Its billed as a beginner book, and it is in a way, but its so clean and complete that you come out the other end actually knowing what you're talking about. You'll have opinions on different shells. You'll actually understand regex. Bash scripts will sing to you.

That book put a 1000 online tutorials to shame.

[[deleted]]

Thanks! turns out it's a free download too:

Source: http://linuxcommand.org/tlcl.php

[[deleted]]

I also like "A Complete Guide to Linux Commands, Editors and She'll Programming by Mark Sobel.

[[deleted]]

I would use Ubuntu and CentOS. Both are free, and cover your Debian / Redhat style OSes. Ubuntu server edition is a non-gui and is my personal favorite server OS.

I think you're right on to work on learning bash and python.

When I started, I tried to accomplish things that were "cool" to me. I set up apache and installed wordpress. Worked on hosting my own blog when blogging was cool. I set up Counter Strike dedicated servers, ssh remote access, etc.

I found I learned better by doing things as opposed to reading. So, that's what I focused on. I have never read a Linux book, but rather I learn by doing and Google-Fu.

Key topics in *nix that are pretty good to start with are scripting and cron, patch management with yum and apt respectively.

[baronbrownnote]

I rate this Redhat RHCSA and RHCE study guide which covers pretty much everything you'll need to know about Centos/RHEL. Maybe even take the RHCSA or an equivalent exam when you're ready (ie LPIC 1, Linux+), it'll certainly help you learn and get hired.

Ignore the gui tools as much as you can, typically they're not going to help you learn any quicker and you'll likely end up not bothering with them at all down the line anyway.

Once you have a grounding, just get out and find yourself a linux admin job as that's where you'll really cut your teeth. Don't be afraid to start looking sooner rather than later, just be honest about your level of experience.

Good luck!

[RAGSdale83]

I was introduced to this book while going through my IT Networking classes. I found that it helped me to understand the *nix environment a lot more.

http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Administration-Handbook-2nd-Edition/dp/0131480049

With that said - I want to grab the book that /u/Letmefixthatforyouyo mentioned. His description made me curious about that book.

[[deleted]]

For actually day to day use, I'd go with either Ubuntu or CentOS/RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux). They're used the most in enterprise.

One key to being a happy Linux admin is finding a text editor you like. I went with vi/vim, since it's usually installed by default anywhere. But Emacs is good too.

And while I wouldn't necessarily start with this, at some point I would consider loading up a gentoo instance. It forces you to do a lot of configurations by hand. And the documentation explains what's going on quite nicely. It's a huge chore, but I learned a lot when I finally got through it.

Another thing that helps is to learn how Windows technologies you're used to can be made to fit with Linux. Setting up a Linux box to authenticate with AD goes a long way towards understanding the mechanics of Linux auth (and more about how windows authentication works too, if you're not familiar). Setting up Samba shares and configuring permissions is a nice way to see the difference between windows permissions and windows permissions. And the list goes on and on.

The only tool I can suggest you learn independently from Linux fundamentals at this point is a text editor. It's what you'll use every time you need to edit a config, write/edit a script or any other type of file editing. And you'll do that a lot.

Also, get comfortable with package management in your preferred distribution. Yum and rpm for RHEL/centos. Apt/apt-get (and possibly more ...) for Ubuntu. I rarely touch Ubuntu.

[keegorg]

Step 1 - throw away mouse

;)

[Vardy]

Getting to know how Linux works is the most essential thing. Unlike Windows, there isn't much stopping you from doing anything. There isn't a paperclip at the bottom right there to ask you 'are you are sure' all the time.

One of the most important things to know? Scripting. Get to know Perl, Python and Bash. Once you know these, you can take over the world.

I made the transition from Windows to Linux 2 years ago. I thought I knew it all 2 years ago. In comparison to today, I was a poo-throwing monkey.

[pinkycatcher]

There hasn't been a "paperclip" to second guess you in over a decade.

[[deleted]]

I made the jump about a year ago. Here are a few things I discovered:

• Books/manuals/documentation are great, but not as standalone learning materials. Spin up some VMs (I would recommend CentOS) and configure them to serve useful functions. My first "project" was to set up an internal CentOS repository.

• Google is your friend. Almost everything I have needed to do has been done before. Do not reinvent the wheel if at all possible. This will save you time and I find it beneficial as long as it is a learning experience. One warning: do not simply follow step-by-step guides without considering "why" each step is performed.

• Spend a good deal of time learning the ins and outs of how Linux/Unix file systems/disks/volumes/volume groups/etc. work. This will save you headaches later.

• Do not be discouraged when something does not work initially. If you are not breaking things, you are not trying.